Interfitting wall and door construction



Filed Jan. 15, 1951 n 9W4 Wn whw W & n. M 6 w P.

3/4, z w "Jam 5 7 2 4 1 a W nm w F W m/VC a N\\\\\\\ H P d Patented June 15, 1954 INTERFITTING WALL AND DOOR- CGNSTRUCTION Ralph E. McClellan, Toledo, Ohio, assignor to Meilink Steel Safe Company, Toledo, Ohio, a

corporation of Ohio Application January 15, 1951, Serial No. 206,111

8 Claims.

This invention relates to storage receptacles for protection of contents of the receptacles from hazards of heat and impact.

This invention has utility when incorporated in safes for valuables. The invention is directed toward maintaining sealed ofi storage protection of the safe contents from fire, water, and drops or falls, as from building collapse.

Referring to the drawings:

Fig. l is a front elevation, a portion being broken away, of a safe having features of the invention incorporated therein;

Fig. 2 is an enlargement in fragmentary section showing an assembly for the caster-carrying skirt with the safe shell bottom;

Fig. 3 is a plan view of a caster-carrying bracket with the wheel and a portion of the skirt;

Fig. i is a fragmentary view of impact-distorted bracket, broken caster or wheel, and safebody connecting strip portion;

Fig. is a section of a closed door frame at the jamb, with adjacent portions of the door and safe housing;

Fig. 6 is a view looking directly into a strip portion of the jamb, the strip showing the slots of the yield region; and

Fig, '7 is a View similar to Fig. 6 in which there is distortion of the slotted region of the strip.

The safe i has a door 2 with hinges 3. On the door front is shown the exposed portion of a combination lock 4 and a door-bolt operating handle 5 (Fig. l).

The receptacle or safe i has an inner sheet metal wall 6 (Fig. 5) and an outer shell or sheet metal wall l. The safe front door opening has jamb rib 8 and groove 9.

The door 2 has an inner sheet metal wall l9. an outer wall or shell l i. Between the door inner and outer walls H), il, there is a door frame forming a rib l2 and a groove IS. The configurations are such that the rib i2 is complementary to the jamb groove 9 and the frame groove [3 is complementary to the jamb rib 8. Between the inner walls 5, It, and the outer walls or sheets i, ii, is insulation filler 14 providing safe reinforcement and fire resistance properties to the completed safe.

As bounds for the rectangular base or bottom of the safe i, there is a bounding flange, rim or skirt i5 (Figs. 1, 2, 4), having a front or beneaththe-door portion ii), a back portion l7 and ends I8. At each corner of the skirt is a bracket. Bracket plate portion 19 (Fig. 1) is flatwise toward the safe base or bottom. From the portion is a tongue 20 (Fig. 2) extends downward to the bracket body portion 2i. Coplanar from an end of the portion 2! is an extension 22 (Figs. 2, 3, 4) to a flange Spot welds 2t anchor the flange ..3 with the end wail it of the skirt 55. Remote from the flange 23, the body portion Z! has an offset 25 to a flange 25 parallel to the body portion 22. The flange 25 has welds at to anchor this flange it with the skirt front wall it. An axle 2: journals a caster or wheel 23. The axle has one end thereof in the body portion 25 and the other end riveted in the skirt wall it. The four brackets with their wheels are thus assembled with the skirt to form a unit. This unit may be connected to the safe base or bottom by bolts 28 (Fig.3).

The downward offset of the extensions 22 from the portion it provides a clearance 35) (Figs. 1, 2) from a bottom flange 3i. There is a similar downward oiiset for the portion 25. This leaves the relatively weaker tongue 2!] therebetween.

The inner region of the jamb is herein shown as anchored by spot Welds 2% to the inner wall t of the housing or safe. Remote from this assembly with the inner wall 6, the jainb has outward from the groove 9 a flange 32, inward from and parallel to the outer wall ii of the safe door 2. The flange 32 in its extent toward the safe outer wall 7 has an offset 33 to just beyond the plane of the door wall it and just clear of outer edge 34 of the door 2. Approximately co-planar with the door wall ii and parallel to the flange 32, the jamb has a bounding strip 35.

From the door opening, the safe outer wall has a portion 36 connected by convex or rounded corner 31 to the outer safe wall l. An inner section or cove 38 has spot welds 2d providing anchoring connection thereof with the wall inner side. In the extent of the cove 38 past the corner ti there is a slight inward offset 39 from which extends a fiat section id to the offset 33 and parallel to the strip 355 and the portion 35. The portions 35, at, from the pocket bottom 39, provide a closed bottom pocket for the strip 3%.

Along and extending lengthwise of the strip 35 portion of the jamb are slots iii, 42 (Fig. 6). The portion 38 has ports or holes s3 (Fig. 5) for are welds 44 (Fig. 6) to anchor the portion 3% with the strip The pair of parallel upwardly extending sides of the door opening, connected at the top, form a U-shaped channel pocket for the strip 35. The safe bottom outer wall I has spot weld anchorage with the bottom flange 3i. The safe reinforcing insulation filler it may be introduced thru the open back and the back wall later applied. In-

asmuch as the safe bottom should be assembled before charging the safe with the filler M, the inner wall 6 may or may not be assembled with the jamb prior to putting the bottom in position. For assembling the four sided door jamb, the safe may be inverted so that the strips 35 may be easily slid into said U-shaped channel pockets. The four sided jamb thus introduced into the U-shaped channel pocket, leaves the free ends of the parallel U-shaped channel open, which ends are then closed or covered by the safe bottom 1. Arc welds 4d at the ports 43 may now anchor together the assembly for the safe, which assembly is now ready to have the filler I4 charged thereinto.

This construction gives protection from extreme hazards, such as from fire and external impacts that might occur by the dropping of the safe through a building when a burning building collapses. During such hazards the sealing effectiveness of the door is maintained because of the inventive structure here disclosed. With the safe generally in an upright position its bottom would be subjected mostly to the greatest impact after such a fall. Thus, the brackets for supporting the wheels 29 aid in reducing the effect of this impact by being distorted under pressure. The metal boundary for the door frame including the pocket 39 and the jamb including the strips 35, respond to extremes in temperature expansion to prevent the tongue in groove joints 3, i3, 9, [2 from parting. An illustration of the distorted safe structure after being exposed to heat and impact is shown in Figs. 4 and '7, wherein the slots M and 42' are distorted from those shown in Fig. 6, and the tongue 25 is shortened and bent, and wheel 28 is ruptured.

What is claimed and is desired to secure by Letters Patent is:

1, In a wall construction comprising two sheets, a closed connection between adjacent longitudinal portions of said sheets, said connection comprising: two parallel sides forming an open pocket along and attached to one of said portions of one of said sheets, a strip attached to the adjacent portion of the other of said sheets, said strip fitting into said pocket and being anchored to said pocket near its bottom, and said strip having longitudinal slots parallel to said longitudinal portions covered by at least one side of said pocket, thereby permitting relative movement due to contraction and expansion between said sheets in said pocket without opening the connection between said portions and without rupturing the anchorage in said pocket.

2. A wall construction according to claim 1 wherein said sheets comprise the inner and outer walls of a safe.

3. A wall construction according to claim 1 wherein said strip has a plurality of parallel overlapping rows of slots.

4. A wall construction according to claim 1 wherein said sheets are made of metal.

5. A wall construction according to claim 1 wherein said anchorage of said strip in said pocket is at spaced points between said slots along said strip.

6. A doorway comprising: a door having an edge, a jamb for said edge, a tongue and groove interlock between said jamb and said edge, a frame for said jamb, said frame having a channel pocket, a strip extending from said jamb into said channel pocket, means for anchoring said strip near the bottom of said pocket, said strip having longitudinal slots transversely yieldable between said jamb and said anchoring means to permit expansion and contraction between the parts of said doorway without affecting the tongue and groove interlock.

'7. In a wall construction comprisin two sheets, a closed connection between adjacent longitudinal portions of said sheets, said connection comprising: a strip attached to the adjacent portion of one of said sheets, said strip overlapping and being anchored to the adjacent portion of the other of said sheets near the edge of said strip, and said strip having longitudinal slots parallel to said longitudinal portions, said slots being covered by said other adjacent portion, thereby permitting relative movement due to contraction and expansion between said sheets without opening the connection between said overlapping strip and longitudinal portion and without rupturing the anchorage between said sheets.

8. A doorway comprising: a door having an edge, a jamb for said edge, a tongue and groove interlock between said jamb and said edge, a frame for said jamb, said frame having a flange, a strip extending from said jamb adjacent said flange, means for anchoring said strip near its edge to said flange whereby said flange overlaps said strip, said strip having longitudinal slots transversely yieldable between said jamb and said anchoring means to permit expansion and contraction between the parts of said doorway without affecting said tongue and groove interlock.

References Cited in the file of this patent UNITED STATES PATENTS Number Name Date 268,818 Nolan Dec. 12, 1882 707,849 Kracker Aug. 26, 1902 730,100 Dolid June 2, 1903 734,588 Reynolds et a1 Aug. 4, 1903 1,428,340 Meilink Sept. 5, 1922 1,576,609 Hunter Mar. 16, 1926 1,781,488 Abbott Nov. 11, 1930 

